Over 260 organisations and concerned citizens across the spectrum of Indian society have written (read the letter) to the Vice President of India, who is also the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, and the Prime Minister demanding that the Aadhaar Amendments Bill and DNA Bill be subjected to greater scrutiny by sending them to the appropriate Parliamentary committees.

The Union Government has listed for introduction in the Lok Sabha tomorrow (January 2, 2019) the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018, in the Lok Sabha. There are serious concerns violating court orders and citizens rights in this.

The Right to Food Campaign in Jharkhand reported the death of three more people from starvation after their ration cards were canceled due to not linking with Aadhaar. The full RFC update is included here.

More than six years after the first legal challenge to the Unique Identification project were filed in court, today the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar project. While four judges wrote upholding the validity of the Aadhaar project, one judge ruled that the Aadhaar project is unconstitutional and the database must be deleted.

News reports of “starvation deaths” have been coming in a steady trickle over the past few years. One particularly tragic episode was that of eleven-year old Santoshi Kumari in Jharkhand. She died one year ago, on 28 September, begging her mother for rice as she slipped into unconsciousness. It was later learnt that her family had lost their ration card because it had not been linked with Aadhaar (in mid-2017, the Jharkhand government mass-cancelled Aadhaar-less rations cards).

Summer is seeping into the monsoon. Much has happened in the last months. For the poor, Aadhaar and hunger deaths remain connected. The Right to Food Campaign reported on continuing hunger deaths in Jharkhand. Many of those who died faced issues with rations related to Aadhaar. For the middle classes, many have faced difficulty in filing IT returns and difficulty with educational institutions. The proposed National Health Stack might affect us all. We continue waiting for the Supreme Court to deliver its judgment, we bring you some updates.